Ady Barkan, the progressive health care activist whose video pleadings with U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake last year briefly became a viral hit, is starting a group to tout select Democratic candidates across the country, starting with Hiral Tipirneni's congressional bid in Arizona.

"I think this race epitomizes the big questions about health care in America," Barkan said in an interview.

Arizona's West Valley district includes many seniors who depend on Medicare and face serious health-related issues, he said. Tipirneni is a doctor running against someone who would vote to weaken the Affordable Care Act, he continued.

Speaking with Jeff Flake on flight

Barkan told Flake, an Arizona Republican, he could "be a hero" by voting against the GOP tax-cut bill that included a provision to erase the mandate for people to buy health insurance coverage in the Affordable Care Act. Barkan told Flake the effect it could have on his disability payments and rising medical costs. He asked Flake to withhold his vote on the bill.

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Ady Barkan had spent a week trying to get lawmakers' attentions and giving speeches outside their offices, ending in an arrest. So when he heard Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake was on his American Airlines flight to Phoenix, he saw his moment.
Via social media

Advocating for change

Since then, Barkan has continued advocating for expansive health care coverage and brought his efforts to Arizona this week.

On Thursday, he discussed the issue with Lesko. Later, he appeared outside the Senate campaign headquarters for U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican who is running for the seat that Flake is vacating at the end of his first term.

Barkan's group is funded by the Center for Popular Democracy Action, the dark-money sister organization to the progressive Center for Popular Democracy. Barkan, 34, works for the Center for Popular Democracy.

The CPD action group also advocates for progressive causes and is involved in a broader, multi-million effort to capitalize on anger with President Donald Trump by channeling it to help Democratic causes and candidates. The action group is a 501(4) non-profit and can keep its donors secret.

While Barkan’s group brings money, it comes late in a race that appears on course for a Lesko victory at the moment.

Democratic activist Ady Barkan visits the Arizona Republic studio on Apr. 12, 2018 in Phoenix. Barkan, who has ALS, fears Republicans will make healthcare more inaccessible to people like himself.(Photo: Thomas Hawthorne/The Republic)

A tabulation by the Secretary of State of early ballots received so far shows registered Republican voters have a 20 percentage-point advantage over registered Democrats. Voting in the special election ends April 24.

The GOP has a 17-percentage-point registration advantage in the district. And West Valley voters have not elected a Democrat to Congress since Bob Stump in 1980.Barkan's debut ad opens with an intimate shot of the Santa Barbara man lying on a bed with his little boy playfully perched on Barkan’s stomach.

The minute-long video traces Barkan’s journey of being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, his confrontation with Flake and his trip to Washington, D.C. to protest against it.

The video is punctuated with images of Barkan’s wife holding their newborn son, of Barkan shuffling across a room using a walker because of the muscle atrophy associated with the disease, and of his son toddling toward a recliner, where Barkan struggles to breathe.

Barkan narrates the piece with slow, deliberate speech with the rhythm typical of the disease.

"My name is Ady Barkan," the video opens. "Four months after my wife gave birth to our beautiful baby boy named Carl, I was diagnosed with ALS. I was shocked when Congress proposed a tax bill that would take away my health care to fund tax cuts for billionaires.

"So I went to Washington to plead with members of Congress to be heroes."

The ad closes with a black screen that reads, "Stand with Ady's family. On April 24, vote for Dr. Hiral Tipernini."

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Hiral Tipirneni, greets supporters at her campaign gathering at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale on February 27, 2018. The democrat is running in the special primary election. Tom Tingle/The Republic

Hiral Tipirneni, greets her friend and supporter Caralee Ruff at her campaign gathering at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale on February 27, 2018. The democrat is running in the special primary election. Tom Tingle/The Republic

Hiral Tipirneni, right, listens to supporters at her campaign gathering at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale on February 27, 2018. The democrat is running in the special primary election. Tom Tingle/The Republic

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Can last-minute ads affect races?

Richard Herrera, an Arizona State University associate professor of political science, said generally that last-minute ads — if seen as sophisticated and emotional by voters — could affect the race’s outcome.

"In certain cases, it can really take a race that was sort of secure, and put it in a different column," Herrera said. "These sort of things don’t happen very often. It’s rare that one ad can move the needle that much."

"So now, we’re talking about last-minute voters," he said. "And with (Congressional District) 8, we’re looking at the no-preference voters, which is pretty large. If they get sort of activated by this sort of thing and feel like it’s time to make a statement, they will."

While the emotions have subsided around health care and taxes since last year, Herrera noted the ads coincide with a time when some voters are paying their taxes, and others are still signing up for the Affordable Care Act.

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Debbie Lesko chats with supporters Stacey Meier (left) and Gilbert Wong at her campaign gathering at home in Peoria on Feb. 27, 2018. Lesko pulled out to an early lead in the special primary election. Tom Tingle/The Republic

Former Gov. Jan Brewer, left, and Debbie Lesko, right, celebrate victory at a campaign gathering at home in Peoria on February 27, 2018. Lesko pulled out to an early lead in the special primary election. Tom Tingle/The Republic

Former Gov. Jan Brewer, left, and Debbie Lesko, right, celebrate victory at a campaign gathering at home in Peoria on February 27, 2018. Lesko pulled out to an early lead in the special primary election. Tom Tingle/The Republic

Former Gov. Jan Brewer, left, and Debbie Lesko, right, celebrate victory at a campaign gathering at home in Peoria on February 27, 2018. Lesko pulled out to an early lead in the special primary election. Tom Tingle/The Republic